POLICE were last night hunting thieves who broke into a village school and stole the pupils' pet - Coco the singing cockatiel.

Heartbroken youngsters at tiny Ysgol Gynradd Llandrillo near Corwen stayed at home yesterday while police searched for clues to the bird-nappers.

The school, with just 43 pupils aged three to 11, was broken into through the roof between about 9.30pm on Tuesday and 6am yesterday.

The thieves took away three computers, a musical keyboard, two digital cameras and £25 cash as well as Coco and his cage.

Head teacher Gwenda Owen said the children were distraught as Coco - a small, crested Australian parrot - was a feature of the school, joining pupils for classes, especially singing.

She said: "Coco was very much part of school life.

"He lived in the infant class and used to come out of his cage and sit on the table alongside pupils as they did their lessons.

"He's quite noisy and had been joining in with pupils as they rehearsed for the Eisteddfod. He's going to be greatly missed and we hope very much that whoever took him will return him safe and sound." When Coco was too noisy in class, said Mrs Owen, he would be moved to the school's "quiet corner".

She said: "His feathers had been trimmed so he wouldn't fly very far. He had a lovely song which was in tune.

"The pupils are disappointed. Coco was given to us by one of the parents. They all miss him."

She said: "This is a small village and very close community. Why would they want to take away our cockatiel?"

Mrs Owen said that the burglary could not have come at a worse time for the school.

Inspectors will be arriving in a fortnight's time but most of the school's preparatory work which had taken over a year to compile, was on the stolen computer."

* Do you know who stole Coco? Call the police on 0845 6071001/2 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or the Daily Post on 01492 574455.